GMB PODCAST 009: Conflictfood

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// CONFLICTFOOD: CULTIVATING PEACE THROUGH ONE SINGLE INGREDIENT

It's bloody cold outside, but when I think about the dedicated social entrepreneur duo that I’m introducing you to today, my heart is instantly getting much warmer. I cannot wait to share the story of Conflictfood with you.

Their approach is so unique: through one single ingredient that is grown in a global crisis region, that they are opening our eyes for a different story about countries like Afghanistan or Palestine. One that the media don’t tell.

This morning, I actually listened to an audiobook, called the Book of Joy. It’s written by the Dalai Lama and the South African arch bishop Desmond Tutu. They talked about how the media only tell what is unusual. The fact that most people in the world are generous and kind and good, it’s nothing unusual. It is the norm. But that would be too boring to write about. So of course, the only thing that we see in the media are stories about terror, and the tiny part of humanity that is doing bad.

Related to that, today's interview with Conflictfood really touched me - it deeply links to what I believe in, as they show us another side of the world. Tell us positive stories of joy and lust for life.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

How to start a social startup without any entrepreneurial background

Why our consumption is always a political act & how to make it a good one

How a group of Afghan women are stepping up for independence

How kids from Kabul set a statement against opium & other drugs through street sports

Stories of kindness & hospitality from people who have nothing

How to find unique ingredients in a crisis region & give small-scale farmers a perspective

The bizarreness of producing burkas in China

Why superfoods aren’t always the best decision for the country of origin

The state of the social startup scene in Berlin - a testing lab for ideas for change

Afghanistan, Palestine - which region comes next?

And I’m not gonna let you wait any longer, here are Salem and Gernot from Conflictfood!

LISTEN THE PODCAST INTERVIEW RIGHT HERE:

As always, it would be awesome if you could hop over to iTunes, subscribe to the podcast and leave me a short review (just click on the cover image in iTunes and then on "Reviews").

Thanks yoooouuu,

Claudi

// CONFLICTFOOD - FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT:

CLICK HERE TO OPEN AND READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF OUR INTERVIEW

Hey, what’s up everyone! I’m so happy to welcome Salem and Gernot - the founders of one of the most incredible social startups in Berlin.

Thank you 🙂

So good to have you on the show today, how are you?

S: Fine thanks

G: Great, thank you very much

I’m super stoked to talk to you. Your work is so aligned with the things I believe in most, in terms of how food and a positive mindset can really change something out there. And I have so many questions I think we could talk for hours - but i try my best to keep it down to the essentials.

I remember, I first got aware of Conflictfood in the up-run of the Stadt Land Food Festival* here in Berlin last October 2016. I read about you in their program and went to your website - and guys out there, please check out this website*, it’s so beautifully made and totally gets you into the scene of what Conflictfood is all about. As always I’ll put any links we mention here in the show notes - which you can find at the bottom of this page.

Anyway, I knew, if I wanna see one thing at Stadt Land Food, it’s you! I arrived and you had your stands outside and were doing all kinds of delicious things with Freekeh (an ancient grain from Palestine) - and everything was sold out already! The people were totally drawn to you and your brand…

I just thought, how amazing! Was that kind of a big thing for you as well?

S: Well it was a lot of work 🙂 But yes, it was a big thing. We’ve been to SLF for three days - and it was really amazing. We were very overwhelmed and very impressed that it was so successful. We had wonderful visitors and customers and it was a very nice setting and happening...

That was my feeling, too. And earlier that year, you also won the Next Organic Startup Award - was that pretty much the moment when you knew, “okay that’s it, we’re gonna do this”?

G: Well, in the year 2015, we travelled to Afghanistan for a whole different reason - and came back with a big bag full of saffron. At that point, we did not really have this idea of founding a company such as Conflictfood. This came up slowly. As soon as we arrived here, we thought “oh my god, there are so many conflict regions, we could travel to more destinations than just Afghanistan. So the idea was born already when we came back from this trip in 2015…

S: ...and it was more a concept in our mind. We didn’t have a business plan or something. But to answer your question: the Next Organic was really a push. We’ve had the concept and there was this competition. Then, a day later, we got an email that said “Hey, you won the Next Organic Startup Award” in the category of Trade Concept. We said “oh wow, and what does that mean?” - “It means that you have booth on the exhibition and some interesting networking and coaching opportunities”. We asked “okay, so when is your exhibition?” and it was in May - so we needed very quickly a packaging, a booth, and really everything! A website... And that was kind of the start…

Haha, wow. I think when you win an award like this, you get the feeling that people are really interested, right?

S: Right. And next to the NO, we also won a scholarship from the Social Impact Lab, an incubator here in Berlin Kreuzberg. That was also very, very helpful. They’re supporting entrepreneurs in… well, every topic. So what you have to do if you want to start a social business.

That’s so good. It’s probably also good to have this kind of community as well, and all kind of different skills. Yeah, so and then you decided to concentrate on the saffron from Afghanistan as a first product. So basically it's this, and the other one we talked about before, Freekeh from Palestine, is coming soon.

Which story behind any of those has stuck with you the most?

S: Well, in Afghanistan it was the story of these women. An independent woman collective in Herat, who made the shift from opium to saffron. First of all, we always have this one picture of women in Afghanistan: burkas, women oppressed, bearded men with guns…

We’ve been there and it was a totally different picture. And their story was really amazing. They came from very poor families. And to have this idea, hey, we don’t want to deal with drugs anymore, we want to something legal. Something for the future. Something to avoid those mafia structures...

This independence of women was really impressive for us. And to be part of the harvesting in early November, early, early in the morning, before sunrise… To see how they pick and collect the flowers, dry the flowers and get the saffron… We thought, okay, this is really a different world - and we want to tell this story with our saffron.

G: It’s also amazing to see that these women are so proud of their product and so proud on what they do. That’s exactly the story we wanna tell. That there is this independent woman’s collective, doing their thing, being proud of their work… And what Conflictfood actually does is, we’re opening the market for them. A market, which they did not have up to that point. They used to sell their product on the vegetable market in the city of Herat for a totally different price. And we open the European market for them. It’s also really beautiful to see that the European market, especially the German market, is really appreciating this story and this product a lot.

Sounds like incredible experiences that you had there.

S: I also want to add something: In both countries, in Palestine and also in Afghanistan, we’ve experienced hospitality at its best. It was really, really amazing. The people are so open. They say “hey, come for food, come for dinner…”. Even strangers came up to us, or taxi drivers and really, seriously invited us for dinner. This will never happen here in Germany! That a taxi driver or a bus guy would invite you. And they meant it really serious.

G: And no matter if they come from a poor background or not: hospitality is taken very serious. In Afghanistan and actually also in Palestine.

Ah I imagine. I heard that so much. I have quite a few friends who are also involved in sustainable projects all around the world, who go to countries, where other people don’t usually travel to. And it’s always that. I had similar experiences as well, when I was traveling in really remote regions in India. People are so poor, but still they are so welcoming. They want to share everything… And that’s something the media never tell...

G: And this is actually exactly what we want to change. Because with every product we sell, you will find a whole newspaper that comes with the product. For example with the saffron, you get a newspaper that we write ourselves, together with our team here in Berlin. And we talk about the culture, the food, the mentality…

For example, Afghanistan is much more than Taliban and terror. There is also this amazing food, there are people who are incredibly gifted and welcoming. So in this newspaper, you read a bit more than other newspapers usually talk about.

Yeah. I guess that’s what drew me to you guys straight away is that media always convey just that one picture. And you are just showing a completely different side. In the Saffron from Afghanistan package, I saw this story about the Parkour Boys of Kabul. And I thought, this is awesome. You never think about… I mean, of course, things like this must exist there too. But you just forget about it.

Now, just jumping back a little bit: what are 3 major facts or values that you want the listeners out there to remember about Conflictfood?

S: Well, our work is trading with small-scale farmers in conflict regions. As Gernot told us, it’s opening them new markets and strengthens the local structures. But I think, the main thing is not only to sell the products. It’s more about showing our consumers and our clients the other stories and to give them a new picture from these countries, like from Palestine and Afghanistan… It’s a trading with a deep, deep social aspect. We’ve had this question once “Trading and social responsibility, how does that work?” And I think, why do you divide those two?! This is a totally wrong approach.

Yeah, I agree!

S: So, trading and being social, that’s very important for us - and to give something back to the society and the people.

<< It’s trading on eye level. Not only to take, take, take - it’s also to share >>

and to show the beautiful sides of these countries.

G: What’s important to us is also that we trade directly. There is no middle man involved and this is usually not the case when you trade with spices or tea or coffee. The direct trade enables these farmers in conflict regions that they have a bit of money available. And in the case of Afghanistan that means that these women can send their kids to school. Some of them can even go to university in Herat. And that’s just beautiful to see, that change in this village is possible. They don’t need to produce opium, they don’t need to be part of this… let’s call it a vicious circle. These kind of mafia structures...

S: It’s very important to tell, or to show the people here that our consumption is always a political act! If we buy something, we have to be sure that this has an impact. A positive, or mostly a very negative impact... And that we have to keep this in mind and to change. If you buy cheap things, someone else is paying the rest of the bill. And we have to take care of this… Or not…

​

Very true! That’s a very good point. I mean, you guys, you’ve been right there, right at the spot. You’ve been in contact with these people, which I think is such a great thing to know as well…What would you say was the initial trigger for you to come up with this idea and to start Conflictfood?

S: We’ve been to Afghanistan in the end of 2015 and we visited an orphanage. My father is the father of this orphanage and he invited us to come there. The idea was to make pictures and interviews for their website, so they can apply for fundings and get donations. And there, we had a meal with saffron. I said “ah, I love my saffron” and a family member said that it’s saffron harvest season and I thought “ah, interesting”.

Later, we’ve heard from this woman collective in Herat. I asked what they are doing and got told that they made the shift from opium to saffron… and that they are independent. I thought, interesting, independent women in Afghanistan, that’s a new thing for me. Because you don’t hear this in Europe… I said, let’s go and contact this NGO and visit these women. Then we’ve been there, in this very small village and were very excited and impressed by these women and their work.

We visited them again and again and then we decided, okay, let’s buy this saffron. And through the saffron, we want to tell the other story. Now, we worked out the concept better and clearer, back then it was just very vague. But that was the start of Conflictfood.

Okay! Maybe you mentioned it already a bit, but let’s just dive a bit deeper into your “WHY’s”: I wanna know and feel, what drives you most to run and grow Conflictfood? What makes you jump out of bed each morning and stay motivated?

S: Well, we want to change something in the world. In a very small scale of course, because we are a small social company but…

Everything has an impact!

S: Right!

<< You can also wake up every morning, complaining about all these evil things happening in the world. Or you stand up and try to change something >>

I think that everybody has some skills to make his impact. And this is our approach to make a change. We could also make it much, much easier. If I just want to sell agricultural products, I don’t need to go to Afghanistan or Palestine. Personally, I don’t have to do this, but I want to do more. It’s not just selling products, I want to change some things.

That’s awesome! And that would have been my question, too. I mean, it’s just lying here in front of us in this beautiful box, “Saffron from Afghanistan”, and it contains this beautiful newspaper, the magazine we talked about before and it’s super…

S: Should we open it?

Yeah, let me open it… It’s just so much more than buying a pack of saffron. Like, you open it, you have… some recipe cards there, wow, with really impressive photos. And so much love to detail. It’s just a really nice gift as well.

It’s so much more than this one ingredient that has a positive impact… What makes you go that extra step?

S: Yeah, a lot of companies are just selling the products and maybe destroy the environment in those countries, or have not fairly paid people working for them. And we said no, we want to make a difference. We not only want to sell products, we want to give the people there an economic perspective and strengthen local structures. It’s very important to show ways out of poverty.And they have a wonderful product, these women in Afghanistan. So we said okay, this wonderful product, we want to package it also very wonderful... We have wonderful products from London and Paris and Berlin, very well designed and well-packed. But products from Afghanistan, or countries from Africa or South East Asia also have the right to be presented NICELY!

So true!

S: We also want to show the customers here the other story. With our newspaper, with the packaging… there is more to explore.

G: I would like to add that, in the beginning we had this idea of having the package produced in the country of origin as well. We tried hard, but it did not work out. The structures in Afghanistan, for example, are not prepared for having packages produced in a nice way. Unfortunately, there are no companies producing anything… An interesting fact is that even burkas are produced in China and imported to Afghanistan, which is bizarre.

Really? You would think there is so much handicraft…

S: No, there is no industry, there is no craftsmanship anymore. Everything is destroyed…

G: You can imagine, 40 years of war… they don’t leave many factories running.

True. So where do you do it?

G: We decided differently. We decided to have the product itself shipped to Berlin and then we have all our packages produced here, in Berlin, in a workshop for people with mental and physical disabilities. It’s all handmade with an old technique, an old book binding technique. We thought that this would kind of close the social circle in a way…

It does.

G: Yeah, so there’s a lot of effort in this box and the pieces of information that come with it.

That’s awesome! Can you also talk a bit about the Kabul story? About the Parkour Boys?

G: Those Kabul Parkour boys, we met when we were visiting this former parliament, the ruins of the palace in Kabul. We had, let’s say, a ‘touristy’ day. And all of a sudden, we run into these guys, jumping and flipping… We were wondering what’s going on there, so we talked to them and asked “what are your guys doing there?”. And it turns out that they are a group of 20-25 young people who meet there regularly and do their sports, their parkour moves there.

We were extremely impressed to see what these boys are doing there. So the idea was to write about them and also to support them by organizing a charity dinner*, which we did a couple of weeks ago. In a restaurant in Berlin, To Beef Or Not To Beef. That was quite a success, because we were more than overbooked for that night.

S: Yes, we had live music and it was a really, really nice and private setting…

G: There were more than 55 people who came and were interested in the story of the Kabul Parkour Boys.

Were they there?

G: One of the group, yes. One of the founders was there. He fled from Afghanistan a year ago and now he lives in Düsseldorf. And he came to join us for this evening, so he could talk about all the hopes and wishes of the group…

The problem with the young people in Afghanistan is that there is hardly any job perspective. There is so much poverty… And that turns so many of the young crowd into drugs. Opium and heroin is quite common, because, I mean it grows there and you get it quite cheap. So drugs are a problem, unemployment is a huge problem.

So it’s even more impressive to see that these boys meet there regularly to do their acrobatic moves. To not be torn into this drug scene too much.

Oh wow… So that’s the background of them…

S: Yes, to show an alternative.

Nice. Nice. You’re really bridging between cultures there…

G: And we are actually proud to say that all the profits of this dinner that we had a couple of weeks ago, we will hand over to the boys when we’ll be in Afghanistan next time. This November we’ll be there again to meet them and help them with a little bit of money, so they can afford proper sports equipment… And also to rent an indoor facility, because up to now, only boys can join. In public spaces, it’s not common for girls to sports like that. So they will rent indoor facilities and will do their parkour sports together with parkour girls 🙂

How awesome. Are you gonna make a story about that?

G: Of course. You’ll be able to read about that on our blog.

Very good. Now, just quickly, I’d love you to give us a little “behind the scenes” in terms of how you find your “next” food product? What’s the process behind choosing the one ingredient that makes a certain region unique? Is there any, or is it more of a gut feeling? What’s most important to you?

G: Well, for example, to Palestine, we travelled with this idea of “let’s find olive oil farmers, let’s bring Palestinian olive oil to Germany”. Because the olive tree, the oil tree, is literally in the bible. In history, it’s an extremely important plant. We wanted to find olive oil farmers. But that was, on the one hand, not so easy to find and on the other hand, there’s so much olive oil existing in Europe and it’s also subsidized by the EU. So you’ll find quite cheap and still decent Greek or Spanish olive oil, so we decided differently.

One night, we had a really nice dinner with something strange on our plate - and it turns out it was Freekeh. A product, a grain that we haven’t had before, cause it’s quite unique for the regions of Syria, Palestine, Jordan…

It’s pretty ancient, right?

G: Yes, it’s been well known there for centuries. It’s a grain that you harvest when it’s still unripe and green…

Yes, it’s standing here in front of us and it looks a bit like green wheat or rice. How does it taste?

S: It has a very nutty, smoky, munchy flavor…

G: It’s smoky because you burn it. You literally burn those green grains so that it’s conserved and stays fresh for longer and keeps all these positive nutrients, like fibre and protein. And it’s delicious. And it’s something very new. You cannot find this here in the German market.

Something very old, but something very new.

G: Exactly. And on the other hand it’s also interesting to know that the Palestinian farmers struggle with so many problems. One of which is, that there is hardly any water to water the plants. But for this product, you don’t need as much water. You harvest it quite early and you and you don’t need to water the plant the whole time. That’s quite efficient for those farmers, so they keep focussing on this product. It’s getting more and more famous in Palestine as well because of this water issue… That’s is why we think it tells an important story about the situation in Palestine. That’s why we decided to pick this product.

That’s such a good approach. It also really feeds into… especially people here in Berlin, they always jump on stuff that’s new, that they don’t know and they wanna try. And the food scene, I have the feeling, is going more towards “okay, I want to eat more sustainable”. So the fact that you just mentioned that it needs less water is super important. For Palestine especially, but also in general for our whole world.

G: To be honest, I have the feeling that the food scene in Berlin is quite focussing on fresh and new and interesting stuff that’s - let’s call it superfood. And sometimes, people don’t really look behind the curtain and see that all kinds of superfood actually aren’t always the best decision. Take Avocado or Quinoa. It’s not helpful for the countries of origin to produce them like crazy. But Freekeh is a solution to do good in the country of origin, I think. So I’m not sure: should call it superfood or not…

S: Well, we are not sooo much friends of this word “superfood”, because it is very ‘marketing’. Every food is “super”, if you have an apple in the desert, it’s a superfood. But yeah, people call it superfood.

It is one, basically. If you look into what the term actually means (show notes), it definitely is one. And it may help to market, but I think it’s actually good and important that you tell the story behind it.

Now, tell me, what is it that you are feeling most grateful for, related to your work at Conflictfood?

S: We had a really, really, really positive feedback about what we’re doing. And that’s amazing. I honestly didn’t expect this. I just thought I’d do my business here and try to find a balanced way for all to do something good. But it was overwhelming that so many people wanted to talk about it and share this idea. Like you, call us and say “hey, what a cool project, let’s talk about it a bit”.

I think that the people want a change in general. There are a lot of small, or also a bit bigger companies, that wanna show us that there is something happening in the world which is not so great and good, so

<< let’s try to find some solution together. Because politicians and the global players are not doing this >>

Baaam, I SO agree with this!

S: So if they don’t do it, someone had to do it, so let’s do it together. Step by step.

G: This was actually never the intention, to do that on purpose. It just happened. Just small tiny steps, one after the other. And all of a sudden, it turns out that we do not work in our actual jobs anymore - we work for and with Conflictfood.

It’s kind of your calling now…

G: It is, somehow. And it’s really beautiful to see that all our customers appreciate it a lot. We get so much positive feedback and so much good energy.

S: From everywhere, people wanna join us, help us, be part of this… It’s amazing!

It’s truly amazing. And it really shows that we should not… I mean, it’s also important to put a bit of pressure on politicians, but we should not wait for them to act.

S: No, we waited too long.

Yes, and everyone is waiting and moaning and upset about it. But then, just do something. We all have power, we can all make an impact. Especially, as we have internet out there and lots of tools to independently start a movement. And I think that’s what you do.

G: You can also do tiny steps,

<< you don’t need to change the world within a day. It can be just tiny little ideas - things that you do and change each and every day. That can already be enough. So big shout out: live your change. Do it, it’s fun! >>

It is, I can totally vouch for that. Now, just before we switch to the last final bit, let’s switch direction a little bit and look at the “Berlin Factor”. Why do you think that Berlin is the right place to get people excited about stories and foods from conflict regions?

S: Berlin is very international. You have a lot of influences from all over the world and people are very curious and interested in new things. You have a great food scene since a couple of years, with great cafés and restaurants. You also have a very, very vibrant startup scene. Also a lot of food related startups are trying to do something, to change something.

Is that helpful?

S: It is very helpful. The networking and exchange of ideas… it’s very fruitful. And Berlin is a really good base to start something. You have the Next Organic, a lot of markets, the Stadt Land Food festival, the Markthalle Neun is very well known. So there’s a lot of things happening here in this food scene…

I think there’s also lots of possibilities with those pop-up dinners, people are really into that.

S: Yes, pop-up dinners, pop up cafés, restaurants… We’ve been to Hamburg, for example, and I love Hamburg, but it’s a bit more difficult to start something there. But I hope that the ideas and concepts developing here in Berlin - not only we, also other companies - are going to spread all over Germany, and Europe, and the world.

Yeah, sometimes I have the impression that Berlin is this little testing ground…

S: It is, it’s a big lab.

Exactly, because it’s still possible to try things out and it’s very open. What was the most exciting or important connection you made here?

S: The scholarship with the Social Impact Lab was really, really helpful. Nine months of coaching was fantastic for us. Because we didn’t have any idea of entrepreneurship, or starting a social company…

G: And also the office that we share here now. The Migration Hub network is extremely positive. There’s a beautiful energy going on here. And actually, each and every day in the city of Berlin, you bump into these crazy and interesting - sometimes annoying, but still crazy positive people… This keeps me excited and this is what I love on a daily basis.

S: People are very open here for new ideas. And for fun. For new concepts. Everyday is kind of a surprise. “So, what’s happening today? Let’s see…”. You cannot find that in a small village. It’s Berlin, it’s the capital. And it’s very nice to be here.

So true, I think it’s a perfect summary. I have nothing to add to that. Alright, we’re slowly coming towards the end. Thanks so much for keeping up your energy. There are a few things that I ask all of my interview guests

First question is: What was your biggest learning so far. Your biggest aha-moment?

S: Well, everyday is a learning...

G: One learning is definitely that things take their time. You cannot change the world from the one day to the other. And sometimes, I want change to happen much faster and it makes me a almost a bit angry - but I cannot change that. So things take their time.

I can very much relate to that. Things always take longer than you think.

G: Another learning is that, now that we’re entrepreneurs, everything all of a sudden evolves around money. You need so much money to invest into production, into production, into trade. That’s something we cannot provide that quickly, because we do not have any investors in our back - and we do not want that. So, we do it slowly.

Alright, next question: If you could change one thing in Berlin within the next 24 hours - what would it be?

G: I miss the seaside here. Can you change that for us please?

I try my best 🙂

G: Well, the city is changing that quickly anyway, so I’m excited what’s gonna happen next.

Alright. Now, what is a question I should have asked you but didn’t?

G: You could have asked us about our next step that we are planning. The next country.

Okayyy, so what is it?

G: It’s not just Afghanistan, it’s not just Palestine. We’re preparing our next trip to Myanmar. That’s our next conflict region that we travel to. And we are in contact with a lot of farmers already, a lot of NGO’s. Peace NGO’s and food NGO’s…

I love that. And can you already give a hint on what the product will be?

S: It’s not sooo clear yet.

G: There is a big tea scene, of course. Myanmar features a very, very special kind of tea - a pickled tea that you will only find there. It’s a Burmese specialty.What else is quite interesting are all the spices, such as lemongrass, such as nutmeg, star anise, cardamon… So we will meet many, many small-scale farmers and many people in the food scene. We will try any kinds of tastes and spices and vegetables there. Let’s wait another couple of months until you find it in our store. So, latest September, check our online shop.

Yeah, definitely. I’ll put a link to the online shop in the show notes. And I’m very excited that you’re going to this part of the world, too. There’s a lot of stories to be told I guess.

Alright, last question: If there was one thing you could pass on to the GreenMe Berlin community/ people out there - what would it be?

G: If you are fond of our idea and our concept and if you want to join us or support us, or volunteer for a couple of days a week - we are looking for helping hands. In all fields of work, from consulting, to IT, to marketing, to sales. We are a small but fun team here in Berlin Mitte - if you wanna join us, write us!

<< AND if you have a great idea in mind - just try to realize this idea. It’s possible! If you want it a change, nothing is too weird to do >>

Exactly! I love that! Salem, Gernot, that that is an awesome line to finish I would say. It’s been lots of important messages that you passed on throughout the whole interview, that we should all take on and live by… I cannot say how grateful I am for the chance to learn more about you and your amazing work. You guys are doing such an incredible job in bridging between cultures and cultivating peace, and man - I wish the world had more of that.

I deeply acknowledge you for what you’re doing and hope that many people out there feel inspired by this, too - and that they come and support you and the farmers by buying your products, by getting involved and spreading the word. I wish you lots and lots of energy for growing it, and bringing us more of those beautiful positive stories that the media don’t tell. Thank you so much…

// FINAL WORDS:

I’m still blown away by all of this - it is SO beautiful to see how open-minded, positive-thinking people are putting all their heart and energy into a project that makes a difference out there. I don’t know about you, but I could just feel this drive and passion of Salem and Gernot, and this deeply rooted feeling that we can all do our parts.

I have taken away so much from these two and hope that you did too. If you want to support them, get in touch with them, or with me. And the easiest thing to do so is a) to buy their products and b) even easier, to share this episode out with your friends and anyone you think should know about this, too.

Now it’s time to call it a wrap. As always, you’d make me super happy if you subscribe to the podcast and leave me a little review on iTunes. It helps me to keep going and would just be a wonderful support from your side. Thanks soooo much.

Oh, one more news from my side: if you’re in Berlin on the 29th April, I’m doing a green tour through my home Kiez, South Neukölln, where I wanna show you the amazing eco-minded projects that this area is really filled with. We’ll say hi and chat to the founders of some creative sustainable food concepts, ethical fashion stores and transformed spaces. And get an insight into their work and why they do it. So if you’re in town, I’d be really happy if you join. It’ll take around 3-3.5hours and costs 25 euros. Spots are limited, cause I think it’s much better in a small group. And you can find all the info and tickets here on ﻿the﻿ Facebook event page﻿﻿.

Last shout out, promise: if you wanna stay up to date with the latest interviews, green events and fresh content from me and my explorations around going green in Berlin, then sign up for my monthly newsletter. I got a little thank you if you do so, I’ll send you a best-of guide to 7 of my favorite eco-minded places in the city. To get it, just go over to greenmeberlin.com/newsletter

That's it, have an amazing day, full of inspiration and power & remember to keep it green!

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GMB PODCAST 009: Conflictfood was last modified: August 13th, 2017 by Claudi

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I'm a life enthusiast, yay-sayer and 100% Berlin-obsessed. I'll show you the best spots, coolest trends & inspiring stories for Going Green in Berlins urban jungle. Anything from food, fashion, design, bicycles, lifestyle, people... Short: all the beautiful things this city keeps in store for us!